Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dee MacDonald for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Murder at the Loch coming out March 3, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the second book in the series. I’m obsessed with cozy mysteries and I especially love the Scotland setting. It’s a beautiful place. Ally is a really interesting character who has retired but runs her B&B. think there was a lot more character development in this one. I loved the mystery. I’m excited to see what’s next.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy Scottish mysteries!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read "Murder at the Loch" in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book in the Ally McKinley series. The reader will always know that a story by Ms. MacDonald will be well written, have interesting characters that you want to know more about, and that her stories will leave you guessing to the very last page.

Ally McKinley is the 68 year old owner of The Auld Malthouse B & B, she is also a part-time sleuth and has proven to solve cases before DI Bob Rigby. he moved from Birmingham to Locharran, Scotland because he was sure nothing would ever happen there and he could ease into retirement. Well he was very wrong!

Hamish Sinclair, the Earl of Locharran is in his 70's and has announced that he is getting married to a 32 year old. His cousin's wife is a very ambitious lady and she wants her husband to inherit and she can be the Countess of Locharran. Would she do everything in her power to make that happen?

Ally and her young lab Flora enjoy taking long walks and it's on one of these walks that she discovers a body floating in the Loch. We learn that she was coming to Locharran to marry her fiancée, Ivan the barman at the Craignmonie Hotel bar.

The morning after the wedding of Hamish and Elena, Ally sees and ambulance and police heading up to the castle. There has been another murder. Who is killing the brides of Locharran? Could the lady in the Loch have been a mistaken identity?

Of course, Ally's children are once again nagging her to leave Locharran, because they never wanted her to move there and to buy The Malthouse - what was she thinking at her age? Ally is a wonderful character, very bright, independent and very capable. She and Ross Patterson, the retired vet have a relationship but both value their independence as well as their time together. Ally pieces together all the clues and thinks through the suspects carefully. She is a loyal friend to those she feels are wrongly accused. The story ends in several dramatic events and I can't wait for the next story in the series to see what Ally gets involved with next.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a reivew.

This is the second in the Ally McKinley series but you don't have to have read #1 to enjoy this one.

An enjoyable read and look forward to more.

Murder at the Loch is only the second book in the Ally McKinley Mystery series, but already I feel like I know Ally, Ross and her other friends. In this second book, two seemingly unconnected young brides are murdered and Ally wants to know who could be behind it.
The storyline heavily features local Earl Hamish, who has always had an eye of the ladies. Despite his advancing years, he hasn't let this slow him down on the romance front and that is certainly tied up in this lastest outbreak of murder.
The setting for these books is the beautiful highlands and Ally's guest house that I would love to go and stay in. It all sounds so lovely. Maybe not if people are going to keep getting themselves murdered up there though!
I was a little ahead of Ally on this one at every step, although only just ahead if I'm honest. I really enjoyed this read and I'm looking forward to heading north again soon and joining Ally, Ross and Flora the dog again in the near future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

So I reread the first book and then started on the second of the series and I loved this one just as much as the first one. I love catching up with All McKinley again and seeing what she gets up to next and what crimes she can solve her her own quirky way. And I wasn't disappointed and had the book read in no time, a day was all it took!

But this is not one but two deaths to investigate and Ally has her hands full. All the characters I came to know and love in the first book join us again and I can say this second books is just as delightful, fun and charming as the last one. I enjoyed it, was entertained by it and I will be waiting rather impatiently for the next one. Please don't make me wait too long.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

'Murder at the Loch' is a quick, small-town, Scottish, amateur detective mystery. I wasn't able to read the 1st book in the series, but it is pretty easy to jump into this story. I didn't love the characters so I probably won't continue the series.

Special thanks to the Publisher, Bookouture, and Net Galley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed the second book in this series even more than the first. I think it's because I now know all the villagers and I can focus on the story, Hamish is still my favourite character with his positive attitude in a village full of miserable gossips! I'm glad he got an happy ending!

I guessed it about 70% of the way in, which is good, because I normally guess the killer earlier on. It was a great ending! Though, I wouldn't visit this village full of murderers!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Dee MacDonald's 'Murder at the Loch' in exchange for my review.

'Murder at the Loch' is the second instalment of the Ally McKinley mystery series. In the first instalment Edinburgh native Ally McKinley established herself in the community of Locharran, successfully got her B&B up and running, and found a companion in retired Veterinarian Ross. All this in addition to solving a murder! In this second instalment Ally has a double murder to solve as two young women, newly engaged to Locharran residents, are found dead in quick succession.

A fun second instalment to the series. Filled with vibrant characters and red herrings. As with the first book there is a lot of repetition of information. Almost like the author feels the reader needs to be reminded of the newest developments every couple of chapters.

A perfect read for a rainy day.

Murder at the Loch is book 2 in the Ally McKinley series by Dee Macdonald. It is published on 3 March 2025. Thank you to Bookouture, Netgalley and the author for the advance copy to read and review. At 68, Ally left Edinburgh and bought an old malthouse in the small village of Locharran in the Scottish Highlands and transformed it into a B&B overlooking the loch. An idyllic spot but this is spoilt when she spots what turns out to be a body floating towards her and Hamish Sinclair, the Earl of Locharran, who owns the nearby castle and most of the land around. DI Bob Rigby, took the position in the village, hoping for a few quiet years before retirement. That’s not working out very well for him, particularly when, within a few days, there is another murder. Ally is one of DI Rigby’s suspects, so she’s determined to find out who the murderer is. This cozy mystery was a wonderful read, with terrific characters. They tend to get under your skin. Hamish is very much a ladies’ man. The two elderly sisters, Queenie and Bessie McDougall, run the local shop, the centre for local gossip, and they are certain Hamish is one of the men in Ally’s life. It is a wonderful tale of life in a little country village, with the odd murder thrown in. It is easy reading, a great story and a lovely setting.

Absolutely loved book 2! I felt like I jumped right back into the Scottish Highlands. The characters are so enjoyable to follow and the storyline kept me guessing! Hoping to read more of Ally McKinley's story and adventures!

Ally McKinley and her puppy Flora go for a walk by the loch everyday but this time she finds a body of a woman floating in the water.so begin a new investigation. I love this series!

Unfortunately, not one I could get into right away and had to go back for a second try.
Didn’t really tick the boxes for me, but perhaps have read too many similar ones.

This was a really great second book in the series. I love reading about Ally and her part in solving murders in her little village, Locharran. It was wonderful seeing the personalities continue to develop for the residents from book one to this, and I really hope there continue to be more books in this series!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I hadn’t seen the first book until getting access to this one and bought and read that first. I’m glad to have found this!

Murder At The Loch is the second novel in the fun, cosy mystery series, with our elderly protagonist Ally McKinley. Retired and running a small B&B at Locharran, in the Scottish Highlands, Ally is once again in the middle of the action when there is a series of murders in the village.
Murder At The Loch contains lots of clues, red herrings and humour. A very enjoyable and fun read. And I loved that the Ally is an elderly woman - a refreshing change from the norm.

A great cozy mystery set in the Scottish highlands. Lots of clues, red herrings and fun read. Would highly recommend.

Meet Ally McKinley: dog lover, guesthouse owner and accidental detective, as she tackles her next case in the beautiful Scottish Highlands! It is a well written novel, with punchy dialogue that rings true, and the descriptive writing brings the scenes to life.
A book that stands out from the crowd. The characters and the setting are written exceptionally well.

This was a strong sequel in the Ally McKinley mystery series, it had what I was hoping for and enjoyed the overall concept. The characters were wonderfully done and enjoyed how they worked with the mystery element. I was invested in what was going on with Dee MacDonald’s writing and the characters were everything that I was looking for. I can’t wait to read more in this series and from Dee MacDonald.

Scotland, veterinarian, local-law-enforcement, guesthouse, amateur-sleuth, widow, retirees, pet-dog, small-business, small-town, rural, ghostie, drowning, poisons, local-gossip, local-legends, situational-humor, friendship, friends, brides*****

Allyson is a widowed over 60 retired TV company researcher from the city who has opened a guesthouse in the former malthouse in the tiny village of Locharran in the Highlands of Scotland. She is good at the information gathering and making a suspect board with her friend Ross the semiretired veterinarian and has also made many friends in the village.
She is the first to notice the body in the loch who turns out to be the woman who has come to marry the local barman. But the next one to be murdered is the new surprise bride of the local Earl just 10 days later. Are there two killers? Was it mistaken identity for one of them? Was it because of someone wanting the potential inheritance from the 70ish Earl? The characters are so real, the red herrings are sneaky, and the twists are decidedly unexpected. Fine read!
I requested and received a temporary review copy from Bookouture courtesy of NetGalley. Thank you!
Avail Mar 03, 2025
#AllyMcKinleyMysteriesBk2 #CozyMystery #MurderattheLoch #NetGalley #ScottishHighlands
#SurpriseWedding

Book 2 starts with Ally finding a stranger's body in the loch. It turns out to be the fiance of someone in the village. The local earl announces he is also engaged and his young fiance, along with her sister, will be arriving in town for the wedding. His family is against the match because they worry about their son inheriting the earldom. Another stunning death leads Ally to wonder if the 2 deaths are connected and she starts digging into the earl’s past. She must interview many eccentric townspeople and attempt to unravel old mysteries while putting up with the earl’s annoying family at her B&B. Ally must race to find the murderer before there is another death.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book